misuse

1 of 2

verb

mis·​use ˌmis-ˈyüz How to pronounce misuse (audio)
misused; misusing; misuses
Synonyms of misusenext

transitive verb

1
: to use incorrectly : misapply
misused his talents
a word that is frequently misused
was charged withmisusing company funds
2
: abuse, mistreat
… their prisoner had the heavy task of receiving their insolence as wit, answering their insults with good-humour, and withholding from them the opportunity which they sought of engaging him in a quarrel, that they might have a pretence for misusing him.—Sir Walter Scott
misuser noun
plural misusers

misuse

2 of 2

noun

mis·​use ˌmis-ˈyüs How to pronounce misuse (audio)
: incorrect or improper use : misapplication
the misuse of words
a misuse of power

Synonyms of misuse

Relevance

Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of misuse in a Sentence

Verb She's charged with misusing company funds. a word that is frequently misused Noun No refunds will be offered on products damaged by misuse. the warranty for this dryer is null and void if you subject the product to deliberate misuse
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Touted as dream crime-fighting tools, networks of roadside cameras by Flock and other companies have also been misused to spy on people’s lives. — Drew Harwell, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2026 This is the best way to safeguard the thousands of government employees across Florida who do important, often sensitive work and would never dream of misusing their access to personal data. — Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Noun
As such, the sort of innovation that this category needs most is not better image recognition AI or more intuitive modes of input, but stronger guardrails against misuse of their recording capabilities. — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 3 Aug. 2026 Epstein has given talks about performance science and the uses (and misuses) of data globally; his TED Talks have been viewed more than 11 million times. — Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for misuse

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, partly from mis- + usen to use; partly from Middle French mesuser to abuse, from Old French, from mes- + user to use

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of misuse was in the 14th century

Rhymes for misuse

See All Rhymes for misuse

Browse Nearby Words

misusage
misuse
misuse of patents
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Misuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misuse. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

misuse

1 of 2 verb
mis·​use mish-ˈüz How to pronounce misuse (audio)
(ˈ)mish-ˈyüz, 
(ˈ)mis-ˈyüz
1
: to use incorrectly : misapply
2
: abuse entry 1 sense 2, mistreat
misusage
-ˈ(y)ü-sij, 
-zij
noun

misuse

2 of 2 noun
mis·​use mish-ˈüs How to pronounce misuse (audio)
(ˈ)mish-ˈyüs, 
(ˈ)mis-ˈyüs
: incorrect or improper use

More from Merriam-Webster on misuse

Nglish: Translation of misuse for Spanish Speakers

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